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At the end of February, employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development were assigned 15-minute increments to clear out their personal belongings from the soon-to-be-shuttered agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. With boxes in hand, USAID workers walked past a line of applauding demonstrators who had gathered with flowers to thank them for their service and, as one sign read, “for caring about the world.” Around the corner was ProPublica:

Photo by Jason Andrew

Our reporters heard that USAID employees would be allowed to go into their offices one final time and knew that there would be a critical mass of federal employees present that day. They were career public servants with decades of insights into how government agencies work, information about which programs are being dismantled and predictions of what the consequences could be — and all of that knowledge was going to literally walk out the door. So we showed up.

We rented a truck with a digital billboard to advertise our tip line <[link removed]>: “Are (were) you a government worker? ProPublica journalists want to hear from you.” The truck drove in a loop around the USAID office, making appearances around several federal agency offices and attracting a fair amount of attention.

It worked. Over 100 people reached out with tips, both people in the capital and others who saw photos of the truck online. And last week, when Consumer Finance Protection Bureau staffers cleaned out their desks, our truck was stationed outside once again. Our reporters were there, too, handing out business cards and collecting stories.

Going from a tip to a confirmed story can take weeks or months of reporting. That’s especially true when we’re investigating people, companies and organizations that use money and influence to shield themselves from scrutiny. But some of these tips have already contributed to critical stories, like the internal memos senior USAID leaders sent to Trump appointees warning of hundreds of thousands of deaths that would come from closing the agency <[link removed]>, and the programs the Trump administration canceled anyway <[link removed]>. And that’s just the beginning.

We are dogged in our commitment to working in the public’s interest. And our small but extremely mighty team is creative when it comes to finding new ways to connect with people closest to the issues and those willing to share their experiences, advice and inside knowledge with us. We’ve got reporters all over the country investigating stories of injustice and corruption — stories that can make a real difference for everyday people. It’s the only kind of work we do, and we’re able to sustain it because of the generosity and confidence of our readers. Show up with us. Keep the truck running. <[link removed]>

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Thanks so much,

Megan Martenyi

Proud ProPublican <[link removed]>

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P.S. Find out more about what our reporters are delving into, as well as their contact details, here <[link removed]>, or reach our whole team at propublica.org/tips <[link removed]>. You can also text or call 917-512-0201 or send us a message at that number on Signal, a secure messaging app.

We take source privacy very seriously. You can read more about ProPublica’s approach to investigative journalism in our ethics code <[link removed]> and ways to securely share information <[link removed]>. And if you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network <[link removed]> to stay in touch.

 

 
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